Where Learning Meets the River

At Rosseau Lake College, some of the most meaningful learning happens when students step beyond the classroom and into experiences that challenge, connect, and transform them. This summer brings the first collaboration between RLC and Headwaters: a 36-day, credit-bearing wilderness expedition along the Missinaibi River, one of Canada’s designated Heritage Rivers. For students, it is far more than a canoe trip. It is an academic, personal, and relational journey rooted in land, community, and discovery. We recently sat down with Headwaters Director Devin Mutić and educator Rielle Haig to learn more about the vision behind the program and what makes this experience so unique.

The Missinaibi River Canoe Trip was born from a simple but powerful idea: that academic learning and outdoor education should not exist in separate worlds. “There’s a disconnect between outdoor and academic methods of teaching and learning,” Devin explained. “If we want to improve people’s relationships with the natural world, we need rigorous academic learning in a wilderness-based context.” Designed for students entering Grades 11 and 12, the program awards three Ontario credits: Grade 11 Regional Geography, Grade 11 Canadian Literature, and Grade 12 Interdisciplinary Studies. Yet the learning looks very different from traditional school. On the river, there are no classrooms or lectures. “You haven’t changed learning if you’ve only changed the setting,” Devin said. On this trip, “the landscape becomes the teacher.”

Each day’s learning is rooted in place. Students travel through landscapes connected to readings, histories, and ecological stories, then reflect through journals, discussion, and presentation. Even the curriculum mirrors the journey itself. “Instead of a table of contents, the front page is a map,” Devin explained. “Students follow not only their physical journey down the river, but their learning journey.” Life on the trip blends wilderness living with academic exploration. Students cook over fire, paddle the river, and learn directly from the places they travel through. Expedition skills such as canoe travel, navigation, and teamwork are layered throughout, and every student earns Paddle Canada tandem whitewater certification. The pace is intentionally slow. The Missinaibi can be paddled in about 20 days, but this program takes 31, including 11 rest days. “The point is the journey itself,” Devin said, “to slow down, explore, and discover.”

At its core, the program brings together academic thinking, physical skill, and personal growth. “The goal is to merge head, hand, and heart,” Devin said. “To create something authentic for lifelong learning.” Rielle has seen how powerful this kind of experience can be. “Students gain skills that don’t just earn them credits,” she said. “They can genuinely change how they perceive the world.” Small expedition communities form quickly in the shared rhythms of travel and living outdoors. “You build a small community with the people you’re travelling with,” she said, “and that can be incredibly impactful.”

The choice of river is deeply intentional. The Missinaibi is both ecologically and culturally significant, shaped by thousands of years of Indigenous presence and later colonial history. “It ties ecological and cultural histories together,” Devin said. “It connects to how Canada developed as a place and how we’re dealing with reconciliation today.” It is also one of the world’s most sought-after canoe routes. “Paddlers travel from everywhere to experience this river,” he added. “To do it in this educational context is extraordinary.” Despite its scale, the program is accessible. Students need only standard Grade 10 prerequisites, and no prior canoeing or camping experience is required. Training begins at RLC before entering the river and continues throughout. “We teach everything you need to know,” Devin said. “You just need an interest in adventure.”

Even in remote settings, students remain supported and connected through satellite communication and planned check-in points along the route. The expedition is led by a uniquely qualified team of certified teachers and wilderness professionals with advanced degrees and expedition credentials. “Most canoe programs are run by camp counsellors,” Devin said. “Ours is run by professional educators who do this work full-time.” The partnership between Headwaters and RLC itself emerged through Ontario’s outdoor education community and quickly revealed strong alignment in philosophy and vision. “You can always do more and go farther in partnership than alone,” Devin said. “Rosseau is at the forefront of what education can look like, and Headwaters is too.”

While the expedition itself is life-changing, its impact is designed to extend far beyond the river. Supported by University of Toronto research, the program examines how land-based, interdisciplinary education shapes student learning to inform teaching practices more broadly. “We can change the lives of the students on the trip,” Devin said. “But how does this move pedagogy forward?” The long-term vision includes expanding the partnership with RLC to additional cohorts and future programs, allowing more students to experience this model of learning over time.

For Devin, the deeper purpose is clear. “We always say we want students to build the world they want to live in,” he said. “To do that, they need authentic relationships with the natural world and with each other.” The upcoming expedition reflects that belief, that learning should be lived, not just studied. Hearing Devin and Rielle speak about the program felt less like planning a course and more like witnessing a vision come to life. As Rielle put it, “It’s about transforming what we believe education can be.”

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